If You Love Someone, Let Them Go
by degrassibear
Summary: Two Broken people, two broken hearts, two lost souls, two aching bodies and two people on the desperate search of letting...go.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! So I am really excited about this story! It will be cowritten by myself and The Cliffhanger Girl. I know you all know her because she is amazing and if you don't know her, read her work. But anyways, I hope you all like this story! Please leave us some reviews okay? I love you guys!

_Authors Note From The Cliffhanger Girl: Hey guys! So, this story came from, well, nowhere in particular. A boring period of math class resulted in brainstorming of ideas for this story! I promise it'll be pretty awesome and intense! You've been warned ;) Hope you can handle it (; A special thanks to degrassibear who agreed to help me out with this story and we both want to make this awesome. She's an amazing author and comes up with some great ideas so with her skills and my cliffys this story should turn out great! :D So, please enjoy the prologue to If You Love Someone, Let Them Go…_

**Please leave a review? Thank you!**

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~

**Eli's POV:****  
><strong> 

I shifted my weight on the ground as I traced the outline of her name on the tombstone in front of me.

After tracing her name my hand fell to my side. I sniffled and let the tears stream freely down my face. I used my sleeve to wipe the extra tears that unintentionally streamed down my cheeks and fell lazily onto my shirt.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered out loud knowing she wouldn't accept my apology but saying it more than once a day was still not enough for me.

_She was only seventeen years old when she was killed_.

She had been so close to getting her driver's license, so close to winning prom queen, so close to watching her family problems being resolved.

_**So close, yet so far away.**_

"Julia," I whimpered her name and my heart ached with every letter that fell from my lips. My head snapped up to hear the gate to the cemetery open.

I rolled my eyes as the innocent woman standing at the gateway whispered, "I'm sorry."

_Sorry, the one word everyone says but that no one ever means._

In reality, no matter how many times I say it, it'll never mean anything because it's always too late for "sorry". "Sorry" can't fix this. "Sorry" can't fix anything.

As the distraught woman walked by me, I glared back at Julia's tombstone in front of me. I wrinkled my nose at the bad taste of the tears that were caught between my lips. I moved my lips, trying to regain the feeling I lost once again.

_I haven't __**felt**__ in years._

When she died, people always told me that it was an accident. They told me the jerk that did it should be put away forever. The person who did this to such a breath taking young girl should be put to death.

Whoever did this deserved to die. Just like Julia did.

I agree with everything Julia's parents said, everything my parents said, everything that Adam said and everything that I said.

Whoever killed her should be put in jail for life, be put to death and burn in the flames of hell.

Too bad, my parents already bailed me out of jail a long time ago... 

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~  
><strong>Clare's POV:<strong> 

"I told you where I am going, I'm going to the same place I go every day," I mumbled into my phone to Alli as she sighed in complete and utter aggravation.

She laughed pathetically as I got out of my car to walk into the cemetery and she asked, "When are you going to let this guy go Clare? He's dead alright! You have to stop thinking that going to his grave site everyday is going to bring him back because it's not!"

I grinned and whispered, "It's worth a shot." She just didn't understand. She could never understand. No one could.

With that being said I wiped the tears from my eyes and slammed my phone shut.

When I opened the gate it made a loud screeching noise which caused a curious head to turn and I mouthed, "Sorry." He rolled his eyes at me and glared back at the tombstone in front of him.

_Looking at him was like looking in a mirror._

I gulped while noticing that Mark's tombstone had been covered in snow from the recent storm. I made my way over to the tombstone and sat down at the feet of it. The ground was cold, but it didn't matter. I always had the need to be here because...I needed to be here. I owed Mark this much, being here for him.

"Oh Mark," I whimpered while ruffling the snow off of the stone so I could see his name engraved on the dark stone.

He was only eighteen when he died.

He died on his birthday.

On the day he turned eighteen he was not considered a minor anymore, he was able to get his license and drive without parental supervision. He would be able to spend more time with his girlfriend considering they would be working together the whole summer which would give them a chance to re bond and start where they left off.

Too bad, it never happened.

He was sweet, gentle, caring, respectful and even handsome.

Key word here: **was**.  
>I sniffled while wiping my tears from my face, knowing that I would be here for a long time. It was always hard for me to leave. I played with my fingers and whispered, "Everyone tells me that I should forget about you, that what happened to you was so long ago and I should be able to forget and move on. Everyone tells me it's so simple to move on, just stop coming to the cemetery and live life as if you never existed. But, I just can't forget. I just can't…."<p>

The tears came quicker than I had planned and I whispered, "Alli told me that you're dead and nothing more is going to happen by talking to a stone. She doesn't understand. But that doesn't matter." I laughed pathetically because Alli had no idea what relief talking to Marks stone does for me sometimes.

"I miss you Mark," I said while picking up the dead rose that I had placed here a while ago. The rose felt heavy. Death was heavy. It weighed on my heart like a ton of bricks.

But still, I smiled, remembering the times when my friends would support me and come to Marks grave site with me. I wasn't always coming here alone. But now that everybody has jobs, lives of their own and more important things to do, I go by myself. They moved on. I didn't. I couldn't.

"I don't want to forget you Mark," I whispered to the stone in front of me. I jolted slightly when I heard someone say, "You don't have to forget him."

A/N: Reviews Please?


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! Please do keep it up I know for myself it's the reviews that keep me going and I'm sure The Cliffhanger Girl would say the same? We love you guys so much! Thank you!  
>AN from The Cliffhanger Girl- Hey guys so thank you so much for reviewing this story! I'm really glad most of you, actually all of you reviewed positively! I would do shout outs but all of you are amazing and I just wanted to thank Degrassibear for all of her help with this story! I really think you'll like it, considering most of you claimed you "loved" it. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy the second chapter of If You Love Someone, Let Them Go…Don't forget to review! (: 

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~  
><strong>CLARE'S POV:<strong>

"I don't want to forget you Mark," I whispered sadly to the stone in front of me. A voice behind me caused me to jolt slightly, "You don't have to forget him."

I glanced up at the person above me and he smirked while glaring back down at me with a capturing stare, "If someone tells you that you should forget him then they aren't good enough to be around you, let alone be a friend to you."

I gulped and he held out a hand for me, "I'm u-um."

He smirked slightly but his jaw line was firm and he whispered, "You don't have to tell me your name because heartbreak and disappointment always starts with exchanging names."

I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right and glanced back down at the stone, "How about just initials? Initials don't cause hurt."

"I think that could work," he told me as I griped his right hand in mine and I said, "Mine are C.E."

His lips curled in a devilish grin as he said, "I'm E.G."

After he let go of my hand, he didn't stop staring at it as I broke his gaze by turning to face Mark's tombstone. Suddenly, I remembered why I was here. I was here for Mark, not E.G.

"How long has it been?" He asked, taking me out of a teary glance.

"It's been three years, to this day," I whispered towards the stone. If I looked at him I would have broken down and started to cry in front of this stranger.

He smirked and I asked, "How is that funny?"

E.G. folded his hands and said, "I find it funny that on the day of the anniversary of his death, you still have people fifty feet down your throat and begging you to forget him. Meanwhile, he's the only thing on your mind."

"How would you know that?" I asked him dumbfounded. Who was this guy? How does he have any right to say anything about my feelings?  
>Sometimes, I don't even know how I feel. Let alone a stranger tell me how I am feeling or supposed to feel.<p>

He smirked as tears streamed down his face and he whispered, "Because I have friends and family who do the same thing to me all the time."

Then, it became silent. I suddenly felt bad about judging him. I broke the two minutes of awkward silence by asking, "How long?"

"She's been dead for four years," he said while glancing back towards the gate. He was obviously as uncomfortable with the crying thing as I was.

I smiled and asked, "What was she like?"

He wiped the tears that rolled lazily down his cheek and he whispered, "It's funny how it takes a stranger to finally ask me that question. It's a shame it's too late to ask. Thank you for asking but uh, I don't want to recap what once was."

I nodded and smiled, "I see you around here a lot."

"Your point?" He asked while raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged and said, "No particular reason, just trying to make conversation. I haven't, well I haven't really talked to anybody and had a solid conversation with them without fighting so...I just wanted to make this last."

E.G. smirked at me and asked, "Why do people pick on you? You seem so harmless to me."

A blush came creeping up on my cheeks and I said, "My parents and friends think that coming here every day is bad for me. They are afraid that I'm too attached to him and he's become an obsession. At my old job, everyone was two faced and people were all out for the kill. Every day I have a specific time where I have to come here and I told my boss I had to leave early for this one time and…you know come here, and she fired me."

"That's life for ya'," he said with a smirk on his face.

I'm guessing he likes to smirk a lot...but it works for him…

"It sucks," I mumbled while wiping the tears that streamed down my face.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he whispered, "I -um, I have to go."

"It was nice meeting you," he said while holding out a firm hand and I took it gently as an unintentional blush spread across my face.  
>To hold his hand, to hold someone's hand that was finally on my side made my heart jump.<p>

When I tried to pull away he gripped my hand tighter and our eyes clashed, "I-um, sorry not good at saying goodbyes," and with that he let go of my hand but continued to gaze at my hand that laid limp next to my side.

I smiled and asked, "Why do we have to say goodbye?"

His smirked tilted from side to side and he said, "You're right, we don't."

"Well then, Mr. E.G., I think I'll see you...tomorrow? Same place, same spot?" I asked him and he smirked, "Fuck it, call me Eli."

I grinned and said, "Well, Eli, I'll see you here...tomorrow."

He nodded and asked, "Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

"I thought you had to go," I told him as a grin curled up on my lips while glancing back at Mark's tombstone.

He smirked and inched closer, invading my personal space a little bit. His hair swooped slightly to the side and my breathing hitched. His lips curled into a devilish grin and he whispered, "See, the thing is...whoever is calling me is probably not nearly as important as you might turn out to be."

I moved back, slightly startled by his words and I whispered, "I have to go."

Before he could even process me leaving, I left a confused Eli behind. My tongue danced behind my lips when I saw him standing, his mouth slightly agape.

"I'm sorry," I said while exiting the cemetery without saying goodbye to Mark. There wasn't one time where I would leave this place without saying my goodbyes.

But, a funny thing happened when I got behind the wheel of my car.

I smiled.

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~  
><strong>ELI'S<strong>** POV:**

"She was really pretty," I whispered to Julia and she smiled.

Julia blushed and said, "I think I've seen that face before Elijah...you better stop seeing this girl before it's too late."

"Before what's too late?" I asked as my palms began to turn sweaty.

I knew what Julia was talking about but I wished I didn't.

She giggled and asked, "You don't want to lose her. Do you?"

"I barely know her," I mumbled while glancing down at the cold pavement we were standing on and then back up at her glowing figure.

Julia nodded, walking closer to me, wrapping her arm around me, pulling me closer to her and she whispered, "If you fall in love with her Elijah, she'll be taken right from you faster than you think. Don't fall for the trap Eli! Not again!"

Her voice echoed through my head as I jolted up from my nightmare, glaring around my dark apartment.

"Fuck," I mumbled while covering my face with my hands and slamming my body back down onto my pillow. I pulled the covers over my head, blocking out the sun and clenching my eyes shut in hope that I'd fall asleep.

But, as usual, Julia had invaded my thoughts and I couldn't fall back asleep...

I never could.

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~  
><strong>CLARE'S POV:<br>**  
>"Why can't you stay here with me and finish watching the movie?" Alli asked frustratingly and I glanced at my clock, noticing it was time to go to visit Mark.<p>

I sighed and said, "Alli, I have to go to see Mark. I am doing what I do every day, you know that."

When I got up to leave, Alli grabbed my arm and said, "Clare, you're wasting your life going there every damn day. You should go out with me, tonight. We can go clubbing and have fun, meet a guy! I don't like seeing my best friend like this. I love you Clare and care about you and that's why we are going out tonight."

"I'm not wasting my life going to my dead boyfriend's grave site Alli and if you are such a good friend then why can't you let me do what I want to do?" I asked her as my chest rose up and down and a tear dribbled down my cheek. She really would never understand…

"You know what Alli, you wait and see. When you lose that one person that you love so much then you'll understand why I got back there every day. It makes me so happy," I whispered while tears continued to drip onto my shirt.

She breathed in and said, "Clare, I didn't mean it. I just hate seeing you so..."

"Depressed? In a gaze? Hurt?" I cut her off by filling in words about how I feel all the time when she mentions Mark.

I smiled and said, "You know what...he was right about you and everybody."

"Who was right?" Alli asked as I gripped onto her apartment doorknob.

I bit my lip, trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum as I let a tear drip onto my shirt once again and I said, "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, I met a guy."

Alli's eyes bulged and she asked, "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"I never get a chance to tell you anything because you're always telling me how bad of a person I am and how I'm ruining my own life by going to talk to Mark's tombstone. Well, you know what, talking to his tombstone is sometimes some of the best conversations I've ever had in a long time and it never brings me down," I whispered harshly.

She laughed and said, "That's because a stupid stone doesn't talk back to you!"

I gulped and said through heaving sobs, "Don't talk to me ever again…" I whispered the last part.

"Clare I didn't mean it, I didn't-," I opened her door and slammed it for the last time.

I've lost one person that meant the world to me and losing another one was not going to kill me... 

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~  
><strong>ELI'S POV:<strong> 

I sat by Julia's tombstone and ran my fingers through the dirt beneath me.

"Playing with dirt?" I heard her ask and my eyes shot up, glancing at the broken girl standing above me.

I nodded and said, "It's fun."

"Can I join?" She asked while forcing a smile.

"Why not," I whispered as she dropped slowly next to me and began to squeeze the dirt between her clean fingers. I watched as tears streamed down her rosy cheeks. I couldn't help but notice her eyes were slightly puffy and irritated.

I smiled and she asked, "What?"

"When I was younger, I used to play with dirt all the time in my backyard, alone. But now, it seems like playing with dirt is a lot funner with another person," I said and she just smiled at me.

We remained silent for ten minutes, just exchanging simple glances every now and then.  
>This was the best ten minutes of comfortable silence I had ever experienced in my life. There was no pressure in it, no racing thoughts, just me and her. We were surrounded by chirping birds and silence.<p>

"When I was younger, I wasn't worried about death or scared of the future and frightened of the past," she whispered while holding her head up.

She sniffled and I asked, "Why are you scared of the future?"

"I'm scared that I'll end up living alone, being alone, with no body to be around. I'm scared that I'll lose everyone that I have. Well, what I have left anyways. The scariest part is the process is already beginning," she whispered shakily.

I bit my tongue, trying to hold back the comforting words that came out of my mouth like vomit, "You'll always have me."  
>It slipped out.<br>It might have been a verbal mistake, but it never felt so right before.

When she didn't respond I said, "I-I um, that was too much too early, wasn't it? I'm sorry, I know we're just friends but I've been through so much and...I'm not going to let the first person that walked into my life that only makes me smile, leave so quickly."

C.E. giggled and I asked, "Can you at least tell me your name if we're going to be lifelong friends?"

"Clare Edwards."

A/N: Reviews Please? Thank you! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Thank you guys all so much for the amazing reviews! We love you all!  
><strong>AN from The Cliffhanger Girl-Hey guys! So, I greatly appreciated the reviews for the first two chapters and looking forward to more! Please keep them up and this story will keep being continued with the acceptation of the reviews! Thanks again to degrassibear :D Please Enjoy the Third Chapter to If You Love Someone, Let Them Go...  
><strong>

**Eli's**** POV:**  
>"You mean, you met a girl...as in a girl who isn't…Julia?" Adam raised his eyebrow and asked me. I rolled my eyes which resulted in an exhausted sigh.<p>

I smirked when Adam stuttered, "I-I mean that's really good, you deserve a little break from all this depression stuff."

Sometimes I can't take Adam. I can't take it when he would define me as this depressing person. I mean yeah, I look like the picture of death and I'll admit that. I am always in this state where I don't like to smile but, that doesn't mean I'm depressed.  
>I just don't….I don't like to smile that often, that's all.<p>

"For your information Adam, this girl might be the next best thing to Julia. In fact, she might be even better," I whispered the last part and Adams lips curled into a devilish grin.

"Did I just hear you, Elijah Goldsworthy say that this mystery girl might be better than Julia?" Adam asked me while playfully punching me in the bicep.

I sighed and shook my head which only led to releasing a deep sigh before biting my lip, "I doubt it...but, I don't know she, she just seems so...interesting."

"Why don't you ask her out on a date?" Adam asked me and continued, "You remember what a date is right? It's the thing you do when you have some sort of feelings for a girl that you like so you can get to know them a little more."

I took a sip of my water and said, "I don't think she'd want to go out with someone like me."

"Eli, come on, give her a chance. I mean, what have you got to lose?" Adam asked me while smiling softly.

That's when I cracked.

I stood up and said, "I can't. I can't ask her. I-I can't do this. I gotta-I gotta go." I stuttered.

Adam grabbed my arm when I was about to run out of the Dot and rush to Julia's grave. I needed to see her, it was time to go, time to see her. I needed to talk to her, ask for advice.

"Adam, let go. Now." I hissed at him.

He shook his head and said, "Man pull yourself together! From what you've told me this girl is into you Eli! Please, for your sake, just ask her out!"

I ripped my arm out of his grip and hissed, "I'm not going to risk breaking her even more than she already is. I can't do that to someone…especially not her…."

"Wha-?" I cut Adam off and I said, "I have to see Julia."

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~  
>I tossed dirt on the bottom of her stone to cover up the bare spot that had not been covered.<p>

"She is... she's really pretty," I whispered and continued, "Just like you."

A tear dripped down my cheek and I whimpered, "I just feel so guilty...so guilty that I even think about moving on without you."

"Don't feel guilty," I heard someone whisper and I jolted to see Adam standing above me.

I shook my head and gritted through my teeth, "You'll never understand."

Adam took a seat next to me and wrapped his arm around me, "Don't you think that I've been heartbroken before? Don't you think that I've been put through the same pain that you are going through when my dog died?"

I smiled at his feeble attempt to cheer me up.

"Eli, it's time to move on and let go of the past, of her," he pointed to Julia's picture that was leaning on her stone.

My head hung low between my legs and I sniffled, "I can't move on...not without her permission."

Adam laughed and gripped my shoulder tighter, "She's not going to respond to you Eli. She's not...alive anymore and I know it pains me to say this but she will never...be back."

I nodded and said, "Not the first time I've heard it."

A tear rolled down my cheek and I leaned my head on Adam's shoulder while letting frantic sobs escape my lips...

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~  
><strong>Clare's POV:<strong>  
>I sat in my car, afraid to get out .<p>

Yesterday, I told Eli my real name which means this next meeting could lead to a total breakdown for us both.

We already know so much about each other, so much that can lead to even more depression than I already have on my shoulders. I already feel like I have a ton of bricks hanging above my head and teasing me, just waiting to drop at any moment.

I leaned my head on my steering wheel as I stayed parked outside the cemetery.

"Oh god," I mumbled knowing that I was falling for this guy.

I knew nothing about him, yet I knew so much about him from just two days at the cemetery where I'm supposed to be mourning my dead boyfriend. God, I was horrible…

The only thing I could feel right now, is guilt.

Guilt is the one feeling that races through my veins and pumps to my heart each time I take a measly breath.

I gripped onto my steering wheel in alarm when I heard a gentle tap on my window.

"Sorry-sorry, didn't mean to disturb you, I'll go," Eli said as I opened my door and stepped out quickly.

My body leaned against my car door and he said, "I wouldn't have disturbed you if I didn't notice that your window was open and it was starting to snow. I wouldn't want you to...get sick."

I nodded and said, "Thanks. I'm used to sitting in the snow outside all the time and getting sick so, don't worry about it."

Eli smirked and said, "I remember the time I sat next to Julia's grave in the hail and then it started to snow. But, that wasn't going to stop me from staying by her side because if she has to sit through it...so should I."

I smiled and said, "That's really sweet of you."

He smirked and I saw a tear rolled down his cheek while whispering, "Clare, I don't really know how to say this but...something about you…well it interests me."

"Eli I don't think-," he cut me off and smiled, "I know, I'm not ready either. But, every year Adam, my friend, throws a Christmas party. I always go alone and sit there, doing nothing usually. But this year I was wondering if you can join me...you know, as a friend."

The last word might have cut my heart with a steak knife but, then again it felt like a relief to know I had a friend.

I smiled and asked, "What's the harm in that?"

He smirked and said, "There will be food and uh, drinks and dancing..."

"I have to see if I can clear my schedule," I told him and his mouth opened slightly agape in disappointment. I watched as his eyes roamed my eyes, searching for a lie or regret.

"Its fine, I knew you wouldn't want to anyways. You probably have something better to do than hang around some stranger's house with a stranger..." Eli said while turning around and starting to walk back into the cemetery.

I giggled and he turned his head in suspicion as I responded, "I'd love to go Eli."  
>AN: Let us know what you think! 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Thank you guys all so much for the amazing reviews! They were greatly appreciated so please do keep them up? We love you guys!

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~

**ELI'S POV:**

"S-she agreed to be my friend, why is that such a bad thing?" I asked Julia as she plastered a pout on her face and crossed her arms firmly over her chest.

I sighed and asked, "Why can't you just be happy for me Julia?"

"So this girl shows up in your life and all of a sudden, I just disappear from your thoughts! It's as if I never mattered to you!" She screamed at me. I flinched, but refused to back down.

"You always said I needed a friend besides Adam and here we are. Clare is my new friend. Why can't you just accept that?" I screamed at her. Well I screamed at her stone since her body had vanished from my view.

Everyone around me glared at me. They stared like I was crazy.

No... I'm not fucking crazy. My dead girlfriend who keeps yelling at me is!

My whole body jerked up when I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder. The person whispered, "Eli? Are you alright?"

I knew the voice. Clare. I gulped roughly and whispered to her, "I tried to tell her...tell Julia about us being friends and she doesn't like it at all. She doesn't even want me to talk to you, look at you, be near you or even breath you air! I can't believe her!"

I turned my head to Clare and my heart skipped a beat as I clenched my hands together tightly but couldn't help to notice how beautiful Clare looked in her Christmas themed dress. I smirked at her and she blushed a soft adorable pink.

I shook my head of the dirty thoughts, knowing that my heart was in the hands of my dead girlfriend and will forever be buried with her, gripped tightly in her hands until I kick the bucket and decide to take it back.

"I'll just go then Eli, I understand," she whispered while getting up. I saw her eyes growing wet. I stopped her and I said, "No. Stay. I-I mean come with me to the Christmas party...that is, if you still want to."

Clare's frown turned into a grin and she asked, "Are you sure Eli? If Julia's not okay with it then I feel bad-."

I cut her off and said, "No. Julia...she's, she's gone. Right now, I invited YOU to come with me and YOU and I are going to go to this Christmas party. We are going to get wasted, have fun and be the best of friends at this party!"

She raised an eyebrow and giggled, "So your idea of forgetting your past is drinking?"

I smirked, "No, but...it's worth a try isn't it?"

Clare nodded and said, "I want to forget too and if drinking with you is the solution well...then, let's get to that party."

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~

**CLARE'S POV:**

"So, you're the Clare that Eli's been talking about all the time," Adam, Eli's best friend asked me. He held out his hand which I shook gratefully.

Eli's face tinted an odd shade of pink and I said, "I hope he's not saying bad things?"

"STOP FLIRTING WITH THEM!" I heard Mark seethe in my head as I jolted back slightly. I felt as if he was screaming right in front of me. His voice always had that impact on me; it always hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Okay, okay, just be quiet. Please." I mumbled. Eli raised an eyebrow and asked, "Anything wrong?"

I shook my head and asked Adam in the most polite tone I could come up with, "Adam, do you mind if I have a little bit of your champagne?"

Adam smiled, holding out two glasses and then handed them to Eli and I. "You two kids have fun."

"Thank you Adam!" I screamed out over the blaring music that bounced off the walls and echoed through my head. This was a party and I will be damned if I don't enjoy myself.

Though it was funny how no matter how loud it was here, Mark's voice was always louder.

I tossed my head back, chugging the champagne down. It was an awful oily taste but I was all for it if it helped. At first, I felt as if I was going to barf from the taste but, then I grabbed Eli's out of his hand since he wasn't drinking it and drank that too.

"Take it easy on the booze," Eli said, smirking weakly. I could tell he was slightly worried about it though.

I sighed and said, "You were the one who said drinking your problems away would help and that's exactly what I'm doing!" I giggled as I took another Champaign for a nearby table before chugging it down.

When I went to grab another drink from the table, Eli grabbed it out of my hand and I yelped, "Hey! H-ey! Give it back!" I stuttered.

He held it above his head as I leaned my hand on his chest as my whole body jumped up and down trying to reach the drink above Eli's head in order to get my drink back from him. When I realized I wasn't going to get that drink any time soon, I stopped jumping.

I eyed the drink as he lowered it and, for the first time, I saw Eli smile. No smirk, but a smile.

His teeth were reveled for the first time I've ever seen and at first, I was puzzled. I was wondering why exactly he was smiling at me.

"Do I have something in my teeth?" I asked, laughing a little at the end.

He shook his head and said, "No, I just find it funny how you are actually trying to drink away your past. I mean, I say I'll do it all the time but I never actually do it. Although, seeing you chug drinks is better than sitting alone at this Christmas party, like I usually do."

I smiled and asked, "How about you drink half of that drink and I drink half?" I really wanted my drink back.

"Even exchange?" I said as Eli nodded while throwing his head back as the liquid slipped down his throat and he tasted the oily taste as well.

I smiled knowing that Eli was going to get drunk with me until, I realized he drank the whole thing and had already started downing his second glass of champagne.

"You're the worst friend I've ever had," I mumbled sarcastically and he said, "That's a lot coming from a person who doesn't have any friends."

At first, I thought it was the Champaign speaking but, then his facial expression showed he was serious.

"I-I have to go," I mumbled while quickly slipping through the crowd of people in Adam's house as Eli called out my name desperately. I shook my head, knowing I knew where I had to go.

I had to go to Mark's grave site.

"Clare, listen I'm sorry, that came out wrong," he called out as I stopped in my tracks about a block away from the house.

I could feel Eli glaring at me as tears began to fall from my eyes. I couldn't hold back the tears as my chest started to heave from the way his "joke" had impacted me in such a negative way.

My body slowly turned around and I whispered, "I thought you were different Eli. I thought that you were actually going to be my friend and not help destroy me like all of my other so called friends."

Eli opened his mouth and I interrupted him, "Mark was right. He always was right and always will be. When he died, he told me to never trust any guy to hang around or be with because all they want to do is bring me down and you know what? He was completely right. He's the only guy that will ever respect me and make me happy."

"News flash Clare, he's dead!" Eli called out, "You have to lift the big fucking wall between you and I in order for me to help you! The last thing I want to do is upset you, that's the very last thing I want you to do," he whispered.

"I never asked for your help," I whispered coldly as he inched closer towards me.

"I never told you that you asked for it, I offered it and you took it," Eli whispered back as I felt his hot breath hit my face.

My eyes roamed his jacket and I whispered sadly, "Mark had the same jacket as you."

"I'm sorry, I- I'll take it off," he whispered while removing his jacket and placing it on the ground.

I laughed as tears streamed down my face, "I really need someone Eli and I need someone that won't hurt me. I need a friend that'll always be there when I'm having a panic attack and need to talk. I'm just sick of holding this inside all of the time and it's...it's destroying me emotionally."

Eli smirked and said, "It's the same thing I'm looking for Clare."

"So, I think we have a deal?" I asked as he held out his arms and I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist while leaning my head into the crook of his neck. I breathed in his scent and smiled.

"We have a deal Clare," he whispered and continued, "The deal is that we never hurt each other, always be there for each other and be the best friend that we wish we had when we both lost the ones we loved."

Agreed.

~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~ # ~

**MARK'S POV: **

I glared at Clare and then back at Julia who stood on the other side of the embraced teenagers.

"I can't fucking believe you Clare! You promised you would never move on without me!" I screamed at her even though a smile remained on her face as she embraced the dark haired boy's body.

"Eli! What are you doing? Get your hands off of my man!" Julia screamed and I shook my head while laughing.

They both couldn't hear us because...they were moving on together, without us.

"I can't believe they are doing this to us, when they both promised, "Julia said, standing by my side.

I grinned and wondered out loud, "What does she see in that kid anyway?"

"He was my boyfriend, he's charming, caring and the most intense person I was ever around but, besides that his pros outweighed his cons in every fight or situation we went through. Clare sees what I saw, trust," she whispered.

I smiled and said, "I remember when she used to look at me like that, but, I guess she really is moving on."

"It had to happen sometime," Julia said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

My lips curled into a grin and I whispered, "After all, we couldn't control them for much longer. We are both dead and they aren't."

"True, but maybe them being friends might make them cry a little less at night, shake a bit less during the day and not be afraid to sleep so often," Julia said and I nodded, "Maybe them being friends...is a good thing."

"As long as both of them keep up their end of the deal, everything should be fine," Julia said and I nodded in agreement.

Julia laughed and said, "This is not going to end very well."

Agreed.

A/N: Reviews Please?


End file.
